The Jesuit love of music left its mark in the Paraguay Reductions, that extraordinary network of towns in South America, originally constructed as a safe haven for Indians from the Portuguese slave-hunters. The buildings and the books have largely vanished, but what survives is a passion for the baroque music the Jesuits brought from Europe. Young musicians from the indigenous ...

“We stand in the stream of love that is God’s life…. It makes a lot of difference whether you think this kind of love is a possibility for us humans”. A quote from philosopher Charles Taylor by Michael Paul Gallagher SJ, in his powerpoint talk in Gardiner St. Chapel, on Tue 30 August. ‘Imagination: A Spiritual Anchor for Today’ was ...

The renowned Vatican historian John O’Malley SJ addressed a large audience in Belvedere College, on Friday 9 Sept. In his lecture, ‘Interpreting Vatican II: The Controversy and Its Solution’, he said that if we are to truly understand what happened at that Council then we must examine carefully three documents: the Constitution on the Church, the Declaration On Religious Liberty ...

Richard O’Dwyer is not starry-eyed about the new nation of South Sudan – see his piece below – but he loves it. The former quantity surveyor seems able to turn his hand to anything. He packed a lot into a break this summer, visiting his scattered family, making a retreat, and holidaying with Jesuit friends. He is wonderful company, bubbling ...

“Emergency homeless services in Dublin are in crisis. There are now more people forced to sleep on the streets than at any time in the past 10 years. Dublin City Council is reduced to handing out sleeping bags to many homeless people each night.” So said Peter McVerry SJ, in a strong letter to the Irish Times on 6 September. ...

Before they start theology and the preparation for priesthood, most Jesuit students spend two or three years in what they call regency, a sort of apprenticeship for ministry. Those who are going on foreign missions may spend regency learning the language. So in 1971 Joe Hayes, who had volunteered for the Zambian mission, found himself tackling Tonga in Chikuni. Two ...

Boosted by, among other things, the prayers of our readers, Michael J. Kelly SJ, world-renowned expert on HIV/Aids, has come back from life-threatening surgery. And he has reported, in his own articulate and objective style, on what is generally called a near-death experience. You can Google an International Association for near-death studies, for hundreds of comparable reports. Wikipedia defines them: ...

Brendan McManus SJ completed the 800 km Camino de Santiago on foot this summer in honour of his brother Donal (RIP), and raised almost €5000 for the suicide awareness group, Console. He was plagued by the normal sore muscles and blisters during the 40-day marathon, but, as he puts it, “it was the scenery and the people that stood out ...